Dazzle USB - How Good is it?

[bryanjohnfields]

I have read through most the post I could find on this product. Can any other owners give me thier opinion. I am looking for a card that will do good Capture for VCD without capture and compress and Capture for DVD. I would also like the ablility to schedule my captures.

I started with a ATI TV Wonder usb and couldn't get sound and motion to sync, plus it only had 320x240.
I then moved to a Hauppauge Win/TV PCI card, a good card bur requires me to capture a large avi and convert to my mpg.

Should I stay with a PCI Capture Card (Dazzles DVC II) or will USB be ok?

[mijman]

Well, let's address the question of what provides a better and faster connection to the computer: something on a cord, or something in direct contact with the motherboard?

[mqb]

my Dazzle DVC II is working fine so far, and it captures directly to MPEG-1 (VCD) or MPEG-2 (DVD). Personally, I would not go the USB route.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mqb on 2001-09-05 08:55:08 ]</font>

[thxkid]

I use the happuage WIN PVR PCI card it captures in MPEG1(VCD), MPEG2 (SVCD) or even AVI, I prefer the SVCD capture so I can put it directly on a CD-R to play on my DVD player.
Dazzle does not offer AVI either just MPEG1 or MPEG2 and ASF, Plus Dazzle with not work with most Duron or Athlon processors. Dazzle and AMD still trying to come up with a fix.

[bryanjohnfields]

Thanks for the replies. Keep them coming.

I had pretty much abandoned the idea of USB but I have a friend who is capturing with a Dazzle USB Device and them burning them onto DVD-R. He said he got his capture device at a local computer store for under $100 and he was happy with the Capture. I assume he is using a Dazzle DVC 80 (because of the cost, and how he told me he hooked it up) and real-time software compression maybe even some software that came with his DVD Burner. He sent me a sample and it looked good on my computer but will not play on my DVD Player. I asked him to send me his exact specs but have not heard back from him yet.

If I can get good Capture on a USB Device I would like to save that $100+ over what a PCI device cost. BUT if the USB device will not cut it then it will be and extra $100+ well spent.

[spidey]

I use the Dazzle DVC 1 USB on Windows 2000 and have no problems what so ever. I do not cap straight to VCD specs though. To keep the quality up, I cap at 3000 mpeg1 x 256 Mpeg2 stereo, then I re-encode in TMPG. It definately adds a step, but it's the only way to get a really good dub off of a VHS. I can say I have had no problems at all, and like it alot. I am prtial to cards though. If I had a chance to do it over again I'd get the DVC 2 pci card as I don't like external units, but functionally this has been great. The only other difference is the dvc 2 will also give you Mpeg 2 direct encoding. Either way you go, I think the hardware mpeg encoders definately beat out an avi capture card.

[spidey]

Also, the Dazzle units, some of those cheaper ones like 100.00 or less only will work in 98 or a 95 system,....NOT on an NT kernel system....ie NT4 / 2k